WRITE OF CENTER
Now that Zohran Mamdani has defeated Andrew Cuomo, the scandal- plagued former New York governor, to be New York City’s next mayor, we will find out if he is simply a well-intentioned but misguided Democratic Socialist or an avowed hardcore Marxist.
However Mamdani’s policies affect the city, he is an intriguing, passionate, charismatic fellow who was able to motivate thousands of young New Yorkers to campaign for him.
But who exactly is Zohran Mamdani?
Raised by wealthy parents, he immigrated to the U.S. at age seven, whereupon he was educated at an elite private school whose tuition ranges from $37,000 to $68,000 per year depending on grade level. One could say that he didn’t exactly mingle with the masses at that educational institution.
At age 34 he has yet to have had a real job and appears to have little to no understanding of free markets. Yet he has been ordained by many on the far left as “the future.”
On election night, Mamdani cast away the kinder, gentler schtick he used during the campaign in an effort to reassure worried New Yorkers, giving instead a fullthroated endorsement of socialist policies. Like Lenin, he vowed that the proletariat would rule.
While not specifically promising to seize control of the means of production, he left no doubt which direction he favors. He will tax corporations to the hilt, predicting a boom in revenues that likely will never occur as companies, like people, can move with their feet to friendlier locales.
Mamdani advocates for free everything, from day care to transportation. And just who does Mamdani think is going to pay for all this? As the famed British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once noted, “The problem with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”
Perhaps Mamdani has selective amnesia. In advocating for government- owned grocery stores, has he forgotten the long lines that impoverished Soviet Union citizens had to endure for a single loaf of stale bread or one or two fat laden sausage links?
But how can Mamdani relate? His recent wedding reception was a million-dollar event held at his family’s lavish compound in Uganda with tons of private security. This clearly contrasts with his desire to defund NYC police and replace them with social workers.
You see, to the elite radical left, there are “rules for thee but not for me.”
How will Mamdani pay for all the affordable housing units he promises? While affordability is certainly an issue, logic would dictate there needs to be analysis as to why it is so expensive to build in places like New York City or San Francisco.
Excessive regulatory complexities, basic supply and demand, and mandated use of labor unions are not the only factors but are heavy contributors to rising costs. San Francisco has seen a steady gentrification over the past 40 years, while the number of African-American residents has shrunk by 50% both numerically and as a share of its population. One has to wonder if this racial and ethnic cleansing is racist in its intent on the part of San Francisco’s leaders who claim to be “progressive.”
When the Dallas Stock Exchange opens will it be welcoming corporations fleeing New York City? Will Mamdani’s anti-business policies lead to more companies relocating out of New York City, to be followed by wealthy residents relocating to friendlier environments? These are the folks who pay much of New York City’s income tax revenue.
But radicals like Mamdani appear to want to punish success rather than promote it.
I suggest that Mamdani reread his mentor Bernie Sanders’ quote on Venezuela in 2011: “These days, the American dream is more apt to be realized in South America, in places such as Venezuela, where incomes are actually more equal today than they are in the land of Horatio Alger. So, who is the banana republic now?”
Of course, Sander’s statement came before 30% of Venezuelans left Chavez and Maduro’s “socialist paradise” for nations that offer true upward mobility.
These radicals willingly forget the utter failure of Marxism. Failure to remember history will doom us to repeat it. Proverbs 26:11 rings so true; “Just as a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.”
Scott S. Kramer is former Chairman of the Kendall County Republican Party.
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